Putting the iPod Photo in Focus

On October 26, Apple Computer introduced the iPod Photo, a $500-to-$600 iPod device that features a beautiful color screen and, for the first time on Apple's portable music player, the ability to watch and remotely display photo slide shows synchronized from your Macintosh or PC. If this functionality seems a bit familiar, you've been paying attention. Many electronics companies have offered similar devices for some time now. Indeed, the most recent examples—the Portable Media Centers made by Creative, iRiver, and Samsung—also offer a number of features that the iPod Photo lacks. Why does the mainstream press seem to ignore non-Apple products, and what should you do if you're considering such a device?

It's an Apple Mad, Mad World As a tech reporter of sorts, I've always been dismayed by the unfair attention Apple garners from key members of the tech press. I know from experience that Apple gets this attention by seeding influential reporters with early and free hardware and software products. Thus, publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Newsweek have always given Apple and its Macintosh computer systems more press than the company has deserved (based on Apple products' near-nonexistent market share).

With the iPod, however, the tables turned. Beautifully designed, like all Apple products, the iPod brings one crucial element to the table that the Mac could never muster: It's actually better than the competition in many ways. The iPod is also an affordable luxury. Sales have taken off in recent years, bolstering this opinion. As of October 1, 2004, the iPod commands almost 91 percent of the market for hard disk-based portable media players.

However, the iPod isn't perfect. Although we should credit Apple for creating an elegant player, certain features are still lacking when compared to the competition, including price, storage capacity, battery life, compatibility with online music stores, and durability. (iPods scratch horribly if you just look at them funny.) Furthermore, iPod batteries aren't user-replaceable, and no iPod includes features such as FM radio or voice recording. And figuring out which iPods come with certain accessories—such as a dock, inline remote, or carrying case—can be frustrating.

Photos on Deck In any event, the iPod Photo is now available, and tech journalists are flooding the media with egregious hyperbole to describe the new device. That's too bad, because the truth is that the iPod Photo is a seriously flawed device, and it's unclear that it's worth the extra $100 to $200 you pay for it, when compared to previous-generation iPods.

Like the previous iPods, the iPod Photo is a wonderfully designed device, with an elegant form factor and a gorgeous color screen. The color screen serves three purposes. First, it enhances the general screen display. Combined with a new font, the new screen makes text on the iPod Photo incredibly easy to read. Second, during song playback, the iPod now displays a small album art graphic (assuming you've spent the time to add that information in Apple iTunes). And third, you can use the device to watch photo slide shows.

Although the overall addition of color is welcome and much needed, Apple's application of color on the device is decidedly 1.0. For example, when you're playing back music, you can't change the view that's displayed. If you hit Select, the album art briefly appears full screen, but that's it. Contrast this functionality with the options available when playing music on a Portable Media Center. As I note in my review on the SuperSite for Windows, "The default view displays album art with group, album name, track number and title, and timeline information. But you can navigate horizontally through other views as well: Album art, Album listing, Spartan, and options, from \[which\] you can quickly set up shuffle play, repeat play, and equalizer options, all without having to Menu, Menu, Menu, Menu back to the main screen like you would on an iPod. There's also a fourth option, called Purchase, which \[is\] used for trial song (or video) downloads: If you like the sample, you can purchase the full song the next time you're connected to the PC."

In short, the Portable Media Center offers a wealth of carefully considered display options, which probably has a lot to do with the size of that device's screen: Compared side by side, it's clear that a Portable Media Center screen is about three times that of the iPod Photo's tiny screen. It also offers much higher resolution at 320 x 240. (The iPod Photo is limited to 220 x 176.)

The iPod Photo's photo capabilities are even more limited. When you navigate to the device's new Photo menu, you'll see just a few options: Slideshow Settings, Photo Library (which contains thumbnail images of every photo on the device), and a link to the top-most folders you use to store your photos (in my case, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and Old Pictures). The problem is that the iPod offers no view of the underlying photo and folder structure: On my device, the 2004 folder contains more than 1200 photos in a flat structure and isn't subdivided into topical folders, as it is on my PC. Navigating to precisely the photos I want is quite difficult. For example, let's say I want to display just the photos from a trip my family took to Vermont this year. On the iPod, those photos are commingled with all the other photos from 2004, so I have to manually find them and can then only manually navigate from picture to picture. That's silly.

On the Portable Media Center, the device respects the folder structure I created on the PC, so I have folders such as 2004 Trip to Vermont from which I can trigger slideshows. It's far more usable.

Another feature users might expect on this kind of photo device is the ability to play music over photo slide shows. On the Portable Media Center, you simply start playing some music, go back to the Start screen, then select My Pictures and the photos you want—it all works perfectly. Unfortunately, Apple has botched this functionality on the iPod. Instead of letting you play any music on the fly, you must go to Slideshow Settings and configure the music that will play—which means the exact same song will queue up every time you start a slideshow. Yawn.

Like the Portable Media Center, the iPod Photo comes with the cables you need to play slide shows and music on a TV set. That's cool. But, once again, the iPod's functionality limitations are ultimately frustrating. Setting up on-the-fly slide shows with a Portable Media Center is far easier than performing the same task on the iPod. And because the Portable Media Center also supports video and recorded TV playback (in addition to music and photo slide shows), it's a more practical and versatile tool.

Not a Slam-Dunk You're probably assuming that I'm recommending a Portable Media Center over an iPod Photo. Not quite. Both devices are expensive, starting at $500, and both are missing key features. Compared to the iPod Photo, most Portable Media Centers are quite large. For example, the Creative unit I'm testing is more than twice as big as the iPod Photo, so you can't jog or work out with it as you might with an iPod. You also need to be fully invested in Microsoft's Digital Entertainment Anywhere mantra to fully take advantage of a Portable Media Center—and that means owning a Media Center PC that's hooked up to a TV source such as cable.

Adding insult to injury, neither the iPod nor any Portable Media Centers deliver key functionality. You can't use either to offload pictures directly from a digital camera, which would be handy. Neither includes an FM tuner. And neither includes an inline or wireless remote, although you can get some of this functionality through third parties if you don't mind spending even more money.

In the end, neither one of these devices is a slam-dunk. The Portable Media Centers got there first and offer more functionality, a bigger screen, and better battery life. But the iPod Photo is more portable, more elegant looking, and has a better-looking UI. In the end, deciding which is "better"—the utilitarian Portable Media Center or the fancy iPod Photo—might be the wrong question. A better question is, When will these devices come down in price and offer better functionality? When that happens, we'll have to revisit this interesting new market segment. Until then, only early adopters and the truly affluent need apply.

Discuss this Article 29

K. Loney (not verified)

on Nov 10, 2004

A quick jump to the Apple web site states:
iTunes 4.7 lets you import your images directly into iPod Photo from a folder on the hard drive of your Mac or PC. Spent time organizing your photos using iPhoto on a Mac or either Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 or Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 on a PC? iTunes 4.7 imports the albums you’ve created in iPhoto or collections created in Album or Elements. You’ll be able to choose them from the Photos menu on iPod Photo.
Sounds like it will organize photos to me. not that I'll ever buy one.

I forgot one thing Paul always leaves out:
The click wheel on the iPod is brilliant and blows away the clumsy array of buttons on the competition. And guess what, it's PATENTED so only the iPod wil have it for the forseeable future.
Paul LOVES to leave out the wheel in all his comparisons.

It's a shame that the lack of *included* FM radios, remotes, docks and what-have-you is used as a criticism here. Surely those who want a radio should pay more than those who don't.
Here in the UK, where FM radio is rapidly being replaced by DAB radio, I would not be at all happy to have such a redundant feature.
Overall, I found the article interesting yet rather flawed.

"Why does the mainstream press seem to ignore non-Apple products, and what should you do if you're considering such a device?"
Because their market share is insignificant and users do not actually prefer them.
" I know from experience that Apple gets this attention by seeding influential reporters with early and free hardware and software products. Thus, publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Newsweek have always given Apple and its Macintosh computer systems more press than the company has deserved (based on Apple products' near-nonexistent market share). "
Baloney. Everyone does. These publications still prefer Apple's products even though they have tons of free Dell DJs, Rio, and Creative devices sitting around their office.
"Furthermore, iPod batteries aren't user-replaceable"
Yes, they are.
"That's too bad, because the truth is that the iPod Photo is a seriously flawed device, and it's unclear that it's worth the extra $100 to $200 you pay for it, when compared to previous-generation iPods."
You have said the same thing with every new addition to the iPod line. You have been wrong everytime and have only recently reversed your foolish opinions.
"Combined with a new font, the new screen makes text on the iPod Photo incredibly easy to read. Second, during song playback, the iPod now displays a small album art graphic (assuming you've spent the time to add that information in Apple iTunes)."
Happens automatically.
"Compared side by side, it's clear that a Portable Media Center screen is about three times that of the iPod Photo's tiny screen. It also offers much higher resolution at 320 x 240. (The iPod Photo is limited to 220 x 176.)"
And they can't fit in a pocket. Their sense of portable reminds me of the first "portable" Apple computer.
"The problem is that the iPod offers no view of the underlying photo and folder structure: On my device, the 2004 folder contains more than 1200 photos in a flat structure and isn't subdivided into topical folders, as it is on my PC."
Create slideshows or "albums" of the underlying folders, and the problem is solved. Should take as long as it did for you to complain about it.
"Instead of letting you play any music on the fly, you must go to Slideshow Settings and configure the music that will play—which means the exact same song will queue up every time you start a slideshow. Yawn."
I haven't had any problem changing the music selected for a slideshow to any new music I choose. What's your problem?
"The Portable Media Centers got there first and offer more functionality, a bigger screen, and better battery life."
No, it didn't. Creative had "PMCs" well before Microsoft developed a spec. There are numerous devices still which do not use Microsoft's software, and those that do use it were not first.

"What beats me is, why were you one of the first to rush out and buy one?"
Oh, come on. Dollars to donuts he got it as an evaluation unit. Just like his first iPod. Funny--that's the very thing he complains about in the article. Huh.

What a negative and condescending approach to a device. I am a proud owner of a 60 gig iPod photo that is filled to capacity with music and pictures. I have my whole 450 CD collection all together, all the digital photos i like, displayed easily in different folders based on themes which then- have corrosponding playlists for when I want to do public slideshows. While Apple may be able to embelish on the true use of a color display, this is a great advancement for a great product. AND HOW ABOUT THAT CLICKWHEEL? Patented, amazing, so precise. Genius at work. Not to mention the price you pay for other devices that have less space on the hardrive, low resolution video and so forth. Apple will take over the market even more, just wait. If you're interested in compiling your whole music collection to downgrade the size of luggage you carry when you take your music, 60 gig drive is the only answer. People using other flashy products are tourists.

Paul,
The iPod Photo is not perfect but, as usual, you find fault in some of the advantages.
What beats me is, why were you one of the first to rush out and buy one?
http://www.internet-nexus.com/images/music_ipod_photo_sm.jpg

This is an excellent article.
I own an iPod photo. The 60 GB capacity means I can listen to ANY music I want at any time. I don't have to decide ahead of time what to load onto it.
But it is very buggy. The slide show will freeze, the "do not disconnect" warning remains on the screen after a sync even after it is ejected, photos will not display on the TV, and once it completely forgot that any songs were loaded on it. This is not a defective unit; there are many users on Apple's own discussion forums reporting these problems. Fortunately, resetting the device takes only a couple of minutes and resolves these problems, but it's annoying to have to do that. There has not been a single firmware update yet to address these issues.
And the lack of subfolders for photo albums is just ridiculous. (I can't have people/travel/art and then friends/family/colleagues below that.) Apple advertises the device as letting you carry 25,000 pictures with you, but how exactly am I supposed to find anything when there is only one level of folder?
Still, I love my iPod photo because of its elegant simplicity and intuitive user interface, not to mention huge capacity. I just wish Apple would offer a firmware update to fix the numerous serious software bugs, and make subfolders available for photo viewing.
Sassan Sanei

Oh yea, one more thing Paul never mentions, there's no downloadable video content for PMCs and you can't legally/easily rip your DVDs to PMCs. He likes to mention Cinemanow and Movielink, but check out the content - it's almost all grade B stuff at best, there's little to none of the most popular movies.

Which is it - Can the Ipod Photo display photos in subfolders or not? I read above people writing about exactly what i am experiencing--no subfolders visible, all photos lumped together--and other people saying they got subfolders organized. How exactly is that accomplished? I tried syncing to a folder location and it got only the top level folders, simply ignored my subfolders. I looked for every checkbox there is and there is nothing. I then tried Photoshop Album and then synced and it got worse: one folder with everything stuffed in it. If its possible there is nothing written about it by Apple. Help!

There's a few things Paul ALWAYS leaves out, so here they are:
1 - The iPod has games, calendar and contacts (which are better in color). Most, if not all, of the PMC (and other iPod competitors) lack these.
2- The PMCs have to compress video so much, that if you try to play video from the PMC onto a TV (like the iPod photo plays photos), it looks like crap (much too blocky).
3 - The $499 Creative PMC has a 20 gig drive, 1/2 that of the $499 iPod photo and 1/3 that of the $599 iPod Photo.
4 - Comparing device to device, player to player is too narrow. When you pick a portable player, you need to think about the universe it fits into. When you get an iPod, you have iTunes, iTMS, Airport Express, which blow the competition out of the water (for most users with typical needs). Not to mention all the iPod accessories from third parties. There's more "choice" of players and stores on the microsoft side of the fence, but the choices are, for most users, inferior. And you lack key functionality with the microsoft choices - like simple Airport express streaming, easy sharing of music libraries on a local network and who knows what else in the future.
As usual, Paul misses the point. The iPod photo is for people already leaning toward Apple awesome music experience that have a few more bucks to spare ($100-200) that would like a color screen, better battery life (15 hours for music) and the option of a larger capacity (60 gig). The photo features are a nice add-on that most reviewers (other than Paul, who is biased against all things iPod) have found work nicely.

Not all of us have swallowed the Apple marketing hype. I bought an Archos Gmini 220 as it was cheaper, smaller and had more features than a similar iPod. It has an FM Radio add-on and a CompacFlash slot built in. So after purchasing an SD Ram to CF adapter I upload my camera shots directly to my 20GB MP3 player :-).